South African court rules display of apartheid flag constitutes hate speech

The apartheid-era South African national flag is flown by a supporter of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) in Ventersdorp, in the North West Province April 6, 2010.

A South African court on Wednesday ruled that displaying the country’s apartheid-era flag in public constituted hate speech that discriminated against black people and violated equality laws.

The case relates to a 2017 demonstration against attacks and killings of farmers where the so-called ‘Apartheid Flag” was displayed. The protest was led by predominantly white, Afrikaner nationalist groups.